Sunday rain causes more flooding

SCHUYLER, YATES COUNTIES--The heavy rains that came through the area Sunday, June 14, brought flooding, washing out roads and moving debris into the lakes.
The village of Watkins Glen and Schuyler County were hit by flash flooding, closing down Franklin Street and roads throughout the area. Schuyler County Administrator Tim O'Hearn said there was significant damage to county infrastructure, estimating the cost to be significant.
"It is definitely in the millions," O'Hearn said. "There is no question about that."
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Binghamton, Watkins Glen received 3.41 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, while Odessa saw 3.76 inches and Newfield received 4.3 inches. The NWS also reported flash flooding in Tyrone and Altay during Sunday's rainstorms.
Schuyler County Sheriff William Yessman declared a state of emergency during the flood, closing several roads and prohibiting non-essential travel. The Red Cross also opened a reception center at the Bradford School District in the evening to offer assistance, which has since been closed. School was cancelled at the Watkins Glen and Newfield Central School Districts Monday, while Odessa-Montour was on a two-hour delay.
While the state of emergency was lifted at 5 a.m. Monday, June 15, and most of the major roads were reopened, some secondary roads remained closed. Many of these roads are located in Catharine, Reading and Tyrone. Yessman urges caution to drivers when traveling and reminds them to not drive around barricades or traffic cones.
Between Sunday's floods and Monday, Emergency Services Coordinator William Kennedy said he has dealt with some 30 houses with water in the basement, adding three of those had structural damage. While Kennedy said Watkins Glen got a lot of water, the most damaged areas included Tyrone, Reading and Catharine.
Yessman closed Cayuta, Lamoka and Waneta Lakes to all boaters Monday, while issuing a boater's advisory for Seneca Lake until further notice. This is due to the high water levels and floating debris that have washed out into the lakes. The speed limit on Seneca Lake has been reduced to five miles per hour.
According to a release from Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike, there were 11 roads in Jerusalem that experienced flooding, including the county road in Guyanoga Valley that was completely closed for five hours north of Branchport and was reduced to one lane in other areas.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Binghamton, Naples received 2.37 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, while Dundee saw 1.47 inches and Penn Yan received 1.01 inches.
There were 10 flooded roads in Starkey and six in Middlesex, including South Lake Road that was completely closed for several hours as well. Spike added 709-710 East Lake Road in Barrington was closed to traffic Monday, June 15, due to damage from the flooded roadway. According to the Barrington Highway Department, it will take several days to repair.
Italy, Barrington and Milo each saw three flooded roads during the rainstorms. Several roads throughout the county were also reduced to one lane due to flooding and ponding taking place. Spike said area highway departments continued their work into Monday.
While most county roads were open Monday, the sheriff has ordered a boater's advisory for Keuka and Canandaigua Lakes due to a large quantity of debris including trees, limbs and other floating items from the runoff floating in the muddy lake waters. This advisory also includes the south end of Seneca Lake experiencing the same issues from the rain storm. Spike advises all boaters to reduce speed and to be aware of debris in the water.